Andy,
I have been visiting your page often and it's great to see you're updating it
with new material often. You know there is an interesting teaching I've found in
the church for a long time and seemingly no rebuttal. I consider my Pastor a
spiritual man as well as a man of the word. I don't agree on all his views or
biblical interpretations, but then I doubt I agree with anyone on all of their
views and would be surprised if anyone out there agreed with me on all of mine.
Still there are somethings being taught in the church that cause me concern and
it would be great to see some articles on your site about this. I've looked
quite extensively on the net and think either I must be completely missing it or
95% of the church must have it wrong.
What I'm speaking about is the "Law of Reaping and Sowing" We hear it so often
and it's always refered to this way that it seems no one ever seems to notice
what is being taught is Karma! I sent my Pastor an email about this and asked
him, since he's been doing a whole teaching on it, if he had considered how he
was actually teaching Karma and asked him to please clarify from the pulpit the
difference. The email he sent me back both surprised me and caused me no little
concern. Following is the course of the limited conversation. My first email...
his response.. my response and then silence since. (start from the bottom and
work your way up)
I have found it interesting and again quite concerning that only a handful of
Christians have been able to define even the slightest difference between these
2 things. And not one of them seems to understand that Sowing and Reaping is NOT
a LAW.
I'm hoping maybe you'll do a paper on it as it would be a nice resource to point
people to. I think they're thinking I'm either a nut or just critical. The fact
taht I've finished bible college and have some small understanding of our Lord's
word doesn't seem to matter much.
Thanks,
Andrew
================================================
I'm probably still missing but still so far as you've explained there is no
difference between karma and law of sowing and reaping... we can also not gain
our salvation by sowing and reaping... and so far the teaching has been
basically what you give out is what you give back... since we can't give out
perfection or sinlessness than neither sowing nor reaping nor karma would gain
us salvation....
I hope you'll be able to clear this up... as I would hate to think any other
christians out there would make the same connection I have and not have a ready
answer for it.... Don't get me wrong I do believe there is a HUGE difference
between them.
Andrew
JStrong250@aol.com wrote:
> Hi Andrew - Karma was developed from simply observing the laws God
> built into the universe. As explained, of course, it is not entirely
> adequate because it is an observation, like a primitive observing that
> the light goes on when you move the switch up and goes off when you
> move the switch down. That is same principle. But the observers who
> see reciprocity and call it "karma" could only speculate about origin
> and end and about how far it applies. Grace often alters reciprocity
> and salvation by grace is not "karmic" in the least. Hope the short
> answer was at least somewhat helpful. John
John,
I've got a question, hoping maybe you can address it some Sunday morning. Maybe
no one else has considered it but so far from all the teaching I've been hearing
on the "Law of sowing and reaping" I can't detect any difference between the way
it's being taught and Karma... if there is no difference then is it ok for for
us to believe in karma?
Andrew Kostelak.
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[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Virus]
zLook at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 Which of you by worrying can add one 1cubit to his 2stature?
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Mt 6:26). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
4 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you
to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have
not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the
ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You swicked and lazy servant,
you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not
scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers,
and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take
the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Mt 25:24). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the
ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn;
and vGod feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Lk 12:23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, bfor they are
already white for harvest! 36 cAnd he who reaps receives wages, and gathers
fruit for eternal life, that dboth he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice
together. 37 For in this the saying is true: e‘One sows and another
reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; fothers
have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Jn 4:35). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
10 Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this
is written, that mhe who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in
hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 nIf we have sown spiritual things
for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? 12 If others are
partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (1 Co 9:10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
dBut this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who
sows 4bountifully will also reap 4bountifully. 7 So let each one give as
he purposes in his heart, enot grudgingly or of 5necessity; for fGod loves
a cheerful giver. 8 gAnd God is able to make all grace abound toward you,
that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for
every good work. 9 As it is written:
h“He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (2 Co 9:6). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for jwhatever a man sows, that he will
also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap keverlasting life. 9
And llet us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap
mif we do not lose heart.
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Ga 6:7).
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for jwhatever a man sows, that he
will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap
corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap keverlasting
life. 9 And llet us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we
shall reap mif we do not lose heart. 10 nTherefore, as we have
opportunity, olet us do good to all, pespecially to those who are of the
household of faith.
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Ga 6:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Jesus said to them, y“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to
zfinish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then
comes athe harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the
fields, bfor they are already white for harvest! 36 cAnd he who reaps
receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that dboth he who sows and
he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: e‘One
sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not
labored; fothers have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Jn 4:34). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
But sthe wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, twithout partiality uand
without hypocrisy. 18 vNow the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by
those who make peac
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Jas 3:17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
October 16th
The key to the Master’s orders
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will sendforth labourers into
His harvest. Matthew 9:38.
The key to the missionary problem is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer,
not work, that is, not work as the word is popularly understood to-day, because
that may mean the evasion of concentration on God. The key to the missionary
problem is not the key of common sense, nor the medical key, nor the key of
civilization or education or even evangelization. The key is prayer. “Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest.” Naturally, prayer is not practical, it is
absurd; we have to realize that prayer is stupid from the ordinary commonsense
point of view.
There are no nations in Jesus Christ’s outlook, but the world. How many of us
pray without respect of persons, and with respect to only one Person, Jesus
Christ? He owns the harvest that is produced by distress and conviction of sin,
and this is the harvest we have to pray that labourers may be thrust out to
reap. We are taken up with active work while people all round are ripe to
harvest, and we do not reap one of them, but waste our Lord’s time in
over-energized activities. Suppose the crisis comes in your father’s life, in
your brother’s life, are you there as a labourer to reap the harvest for Jesus
Christ? ‘Oh, but I have a special work to do!’ No Christian has a special work
to do. A Christian is called to be Jesus Christ’s own, one who is not above his
Master, one who does not dictate to Jesus Christ what he intends to do. Our Lord
calls to no special work: He calls to Himself. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of
the harvest,” and He will engineer circumstances and thrust you out.
Chambers, O. (1993, c1935).
My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (October 16). Grand Rapids,
MI: Discovery House Publishers.
October 17th
Greater works
And greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. John
14:12.
Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work. We
think of prayer as a commonsense exercise of our higher powers in order to
prepare us for God’s work. In the teaching of Jesus Christ prayer is the working
of the miracle of Redemption in me which produces the miracle of Redemption in
others by the power of God. The way fruit remains is by prayer, but remember it
is prayer based on the agony of Redemption, not on my agony. Only a child gets
prayer answered; a wise man does not.
Prayer is the battle; it is a matter of indifference where you are. Whichever
way God engineers circumstances, the duty is to pray, Never allow the thought—‘I
am of no use where I am’; because you certainly can be of no use where you are
not. Wherever God has dumped you down in circumstances, pray, ejaculate to Him
all the time. “Whatsoever ye ask in My name, that will I do.” We won’t pray
unless we get thrills, that is the intensest form of spiritual selfishness. We
have to labour along the line of God’s direction, and He says pray. “Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His
harvest.”
There is nothing thrilling about a labouring man’s work, but it is the labouring
man who makes the conceptions of the genius possible; and it is the labouring
saint who makes the conceptions of his Master possible. You labour at prayer and
results happen all the time from God’s standpoint. What an astonishment it will
be to find, when the veil is lifted, the souls that have been reaped by you,
simply because you had been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus
Christ.
Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year
(October 17). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.